The annual conference was designed to serve as a comprehensive policy communication platform between South Korea and the USA, sharing the perspectives of officials from the U.S. government and researchers from academia in both countries on advanced technology.

This year’s conference began with opening remarks by President Siwook Lee of KIEP, Dean Jong-Il You of KDIS, and Dean Alyssa Ayres from the Graduate School of International Relations at GW, followed by a Q&A session on U.S. security policy with Senior Director Tarun Chhabra of the National Security Council.

In his opening remarks, President Siwook Lee of KIEP stated that the ROK-U.S. summit has strengthened bilateral cooperation in high technology and that various public-led cooperation projects are underway, including the Next Generation Critical and Emerging Technologies Dialogue. Furthermore, he introduced the footsteps of South Korea and the U.S. leading up to the commercialization of new technologies through cooperation at the private level.

Citing “Complementarity” as the basic principle of maximizing cooperation between South Korea and the U.S., President Lee noted that Korea's manufacturing capabilities are supporting America’s innovations and eco-friendly transitions. “The expansion of the ROK-U.S. cooperation at the government level should be a catalyst for private sector cooperation by carrying out communal R&D projects and co-establishing next-generation standards,” he added.

Senior Research Fellow Chi Ung Song of the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) and President Robert Atkinson of the Information and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) gave presentations on the topic of “ROK-U.S. Cooperation in the Development of Core Emerging Technologies.” In addition, Professor John Hevelston at GW, with Dr. Hyok Jung Kim at KIEP, presented under the theme of “Competition to Attract High-Tech Industries and ROK-U.S. Foreign Investment Cooperation.”

Se-Hee Ryu, Head of the International System Team at the Korean Security Agency of Trade and Industry (KOSTI), and Tom Ramage, Economic Policy Analyst at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI), exchanged various opinions with the participants after presenting on the “Diplomatic and Security Implications of the Competition for Developing Advanced Technologies in Dual-Use.”

- Title: Korea Week 2024 Conference on U.S.-ROK Relations

- Topic: International High-Tech Competition and ROK-U.S. Relations

- Date & Time: September 4, 2024, 9:30-12:00 a.m.

- Venue: George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA

- Co-hosts: KDI School of Public Policy and Management, National Research Council for Economics, Humanities, and Social Science, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University

- Organizer: Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)

- Contact: Dr. Hyok Jung Kim, Associate Research Fellow, North America and Europe Team (hjkim@kiep.go.kr)